Father Matt Malone, S.J.:​ And yet there have been times, when talking about specific public policies, where you’ve had to take positions that were at odds with the bishops of this country on contentious questions like abortion. Has that been hard for you?

Joe Biden: ​It has been. It has been hard, in one sense, because I’m prepared to accept de fide doctrine on a whole range of issues as a Catholic, even though, as you know, Aquinas argued about, in Summa Theologica, about human life and being, when it occurs.

I’m prepared to accept as a matter of faith, my wife and I, my family, the issue of abortion, but what I’m not prepared to do is to impose a rigid view, a precise view, rigid sounds pejorative, a precise view that is born out of my faith, on other people who are equally God-­fearing, equally as committed to life, equally as committed to the sanctity of life.

I’m prepared to accept that at the moment of conception there’s human life and being, but I’m not prepared to say that to other God-­fearing, non­-God-­fearing people that have a different view.

Even — I don’t want to start a theological discussion, I’ll get in trouble, it’s above my pay grade, although it’s my avocation, but there’s, you know, there’s even been disagreement in our Church, not that — abortion is always wrong, but there’s been debate, and so, there’s, for me, a point where the Church makes a judgment, as we Catholics call, de fide doctrine, said, this is what our doctrine is.

All the principles of my faith, I make no excuse for attempting to live up to — I don’t all the time. But I’m not prepared to impose doctrine that I’m prepared to accept on the rest of — and I actually had that discussion with Pope Benedict.

It was — I had a wonderful meeting with him several months before he stepped down. It was like going back to theology class. And by the way, he wasn’t judgmental. He was open. I came away enlivened from the discussion.

Malone: ​Is there a place in the Democratic Party for people who are pro-­life?

Biden:​ Absolutely. Absolutely, positively. And that’s been my position for as long as I’ve been engaged.